Lucas County Commissioners have joined Lucas County’s Emergency Management Agency to encourage the public to make preparations for spring weather and to sign up for the Lucas County Alert system.
Severe Weather Awareness Week will take place from March 16 to 22, throughout the state of Ohio, and a statewide tornado drill will occur on Wednesday, March 19, at 9:50 a.m.
During the week, residents are encouraged to prepare their homes, businesses and organizations for the upcoming months of potential severe weather and associated conditions such as flooding, wind events, hail, tornadoes, lightning and power outages.
“We know as a community how fast severe weather can hit us,” Commissioner Sobecki said. “Point Place residents are still rebuilding from the tornado that took place almost two years ago. We just want to remind you that the best thing you can do is to be prepared. Develop a plan, talk with your family, thoroughly review your insurance policies and be proactive with your safety this spring.”
Residents are encouraged to participate in the drill by exercising weather safety and emergency communication plans, including enrolling in Lucas County Alerts.
On March 19, Lucas County will go live with a new alert system through provider Everbridge. This new system will send timely, geotargeted alerts and can be personalized to fit individual needs, including allowing users to register up to five phone numbers, five email addresses and five physical locations.
Alerts will be sent based on registered locations, ensuring participants receive only the most relevant information, whether it’s about severe weather, local emergencies or community updates.
The statewide drill will provide an opportunity to test the new system. Outdoor warning sirens also will be activated for three minutes as part of the drill.
Those currently signed up to receive Lucas County Alerts through the WENS system will receive an email prompting them to verify information and update preferences.
Existing users will receive a link unique to them. New users should sign up online at lucascountyalerts. com.
Text alerts will come from 89361 or 89362, and email alerts will come from noreply@ everbridge.net. Officials encourage everyone to save that information in their contacts under Lucas County Alerts.
In addition to emergency notifications, Lucas County partners with local government entities to send notifications about information such as boil water advisories, road closures, refuse programs and more.
Those who are registered to receive Lucas County Alerts can opt in to those additional community alerts through their account at lucascountyalerts .com.
